July 5, 2000

Time: Wed, 5 Jul 2000 00:04:20 GMT
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I finally got the stamps!! That means, today, well, July 5th when it finally gets here, I'll be able to send out the random snail mail that's been sitting on my shelf for the past month or more. (Note to self: browse through EMAR and get needed addy's.)

Being that it's July 4th for the next couple of hours, no one is around, and I'd be willing to wager my night will be extremely uneventful. Though, it does give me time to finish up letters and the like, possibly dance beneath the moon for a while.

Update: It's July 5th. I'm a Crafter now.. not so infinitely exciting as I thought it might be. Get a homenode picture though.. woo. Wrote up a bunch of postycards and letters last night.. talked to a dreamy friend on AIM (stupid program but oh well) until 4am. I was tired. My neck is really sore, from something.. really tense. Maybe stress..

10:04 UTC

Let's see now. What shall I do with myself today? I'm just about to go to a driving
lesson. Well, not go, the instructor's coming here. I hope I've not picked up any
bad habits in a year of not driving. Actually I know I have, but at least the great
majority of those are not to do with driving ;).

So that should take me up to what, 2:30-3:00UTC? I wonder what I'll do after that.
I know I'll get some passport photos taken, which hopefully won't look that bad,
and send of my Visa application. I'll make a doctor's appointment for injections
as well, as I've been threatening for a couple of days. What then?.

Well, my first lapse already. Didn't remember to finish writing up this node
before bed. Which was at around 4.30 am today. After watching loads of
TV, and looking over lots of other people's code to serve as a codebase for my
new job, which BTW is all fine and done, at a reasonable, if fixed,
rate. For a student at least: if I was a real programmer doing exactly the same thing I'd get more.

booyaa, Jukebox Jerky looks interesting. I'm currently thinking of doing some
of the same things myself. Using CDDB info to tag and move mp3's, preferably
ID3v2, and do playlist stuff etc. Do you plan on interpreting the ID3v2 tags yourself, or is there some library? I'll write more here later on today, I've got to
go for that lesson now.

I think I missed the Fourth of July. Life was calling from too many directions at once and I guess I couldn't tend to all my different desires. That being said, I did actually get to see my marvelous fireworks.

The last I recall seeing fireworks must've been when I was about 5 years old. You can imagine the wonderment that exploded in my eyes along with the blazing night sky overhead. 12 years down the road I wanted to have that feeling again...I wanted to hold someone's protective hand and flinch at the too-bright lights and the too-loud noises...I wanted to gaze in awe as the sky begged me to join it in nebulous oblivion. But it didn't happen. I couldn't muster any sort of fascination when I saw the beaufifuly orchestrated explosions. And it was so beautiful...it was like the sky was dripping mercury at some points...or like the picture which we imagine to be the sky was being ripped in various spots by some cruel acidic chemical. My eyes were too jaded to be entertained by such novelty, though. Oh, well...

I feel that phrase in so many ways and last night was another extension of its truth in my life. (Anyway) I really wanted to node something about my lack of patriotism here yesterday. It seems rather inappropriate to do it now...too late. That makes me wonder if it really needed to be done at all. Maybe not...maybe so.

I really need to start putting the time on these day logs. I write what I'm feeling at the moment and I never edit it. My writing anxiety has somewhat cleared up (see happy smiling englightened recluse for details).

Well, this is my first node from the new gig in glorious Peoria, Illinois. Actually it's after work, and I'm in between putting the new Athlon 750 they set me up with through its Halflife paces.

This place is cool. Lots of geeks!!! After three years, finally someone I can talk to who doesn't just either roll their eyes at geek speak or not understand a word I say. I talked about the ACL on our firewall with a guy for two hours today!!!

yesterday was a good fourth of july, really. we had a gourmet grill-a-thon a la craig and we had our own private fireworks show. some people across the street had gotten some big mortars from pennsylvania. upon hearing our cheers at the show they invited us over for spiked watermelon and their grand finale.

i had meant to stay the night at craig's but my incisions have been bugging me a bit so i headed home to my own bed where i would be most comfortable (though most lonely).

today i woke up, went to the store for smoothie, brought in the groceries. cleaned up a bit and got some work done. my sister invited me over for dinner and i've just gotten back. now i'm going to kick back a bit and relax. i'll get some more work done tomorrow... hopefully i'll finish the project i'm working on.

i am in better spirits after having dinner with my sis and getting a call from the man.

(my man, by the way, rules a lot. he put new wheels on my car, 15 inchers with nice rims. much better than my stock wheels with the hubcaps missing. he really wouldn't let me help him out any, and boy it was hot yesterday. he's positively wonderful to me in every way, and he knows how to do so many useful things. i am truly spoiled.)

At night went to see Bebel Gilberto, daughter of Astrud Gilberto & Joao Gilberto. That was good, but it didn't blow my mind. Her new album was produced by Amon Tobin (at least some of it). One song is her sing off a tune from his Permutation album. She works the crowd. The strap of her dress falls off her shoulder and she puts her hand over her eyes to shade the light so she can see the people in the front row. That's gotta be a Marilyn Monroe move.